Vistra (NYSE:VST) Trading Down 4.9% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) traded down 4.9% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $116.66 and last traded at $120.67. 3,188,090 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 9,452,266 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America upgraded Vistra from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Daiwa America upgraded Vistra to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 target price for the company. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on Vistra in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vistra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.83.

Vistra Trading Down 0.4 %

The company has a market capitalization of $38.77 billion, a PE ratio of 21.26, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $158.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.25.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.2235 dividend. This is a boost from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Vistra’s payout ratio is 12.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total transaction of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,990,029.50. The trade was a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vistra

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VST. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $409,087,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Vistra by 63.6% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,260,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,732 shares during the period. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $286,414,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Vistra in the fourth quarter worth $237,441,000. Finally, Appaloosa LP grew its stake in Vistra by 112.5% in the fourth quarter. Appaloosa LP now owns 2,700,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,612 shares during the period. 90.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vistra

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.